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Horatius the Humble
Horatius, son of Marinus, Brother of House Warspite, Page to Squire Turk, Slayer of Dragons. Alignment: Lawful Neutral Character Appearance Thin of frame and pale of skin, with precious little hair save for a scraggly beard, Horatius is not known for his looks. He dresses in the purple and red of House Warspite. He wears a harness on his belt that keeps many of his arcane components within easy reach. Character Background Horatius was born the third son of Marinus, a successful wine merchant in the trade city known as Albacollis(White Hill). Although eager to learn the trade of his family, his father felt no need for a third heir to his business. As Horatius grew closer to the age of majority, his father grew increasingly desperate to find a way to secure a future for him, and legally remove his claim. Marinus was delighted when, a scant month before Horatius' 13th name day, a Court Wizard of Albacollis, known as Aiolus, advertised his desire to take an apprentice. Marinus all but forced his son to attend Aiolus' rite of choosing, wherein the stars and potential of each applicant were divined. Though the details of the divinations were not divulged to the public, the results were made clear: Horatius would serve Aiolus as his apprentice, and would never see his father again. Head swimming at the sudden change in his life, Horatius did the best he could to adjust. Aiolus was a strict master, expecting obedience from his new pupil. He made known a set of rules that would be followed, without fault or hesitation: Horatius was to read what he was told to read, and not a letter more. He was to stay within his chambers until his duties required otherwise. He was to speak when spoken to, and to listen. Horatius served dutifully, spending his mornings tending to his chores, his days assisting his master at court, and his evenings studying texts on heraldry and history. He studied in this way for three years, and learned the ins and outs of Albacolli etiquette. Upon his 16th name day, Horatius received the gift of restraint: He would be tasked with dusting his master's library on a regular basis. He knew the secret lesson his master sought to teach him: The entirety of Aiolus' magical knowledge would brush the tips of Horatius' fingers, but it would remain out of his grasp. He did as was expected, quashing any hint of temptation by imagining what his master would do to him should he succumb. His service continued in such a way for four long years. Upon his 20th name day, he received another gift, this time in the form of practice: Horatius would copy words and sentences that he could not comprehend, from dilapidated tomes to fresh parchment. Within a year, he had committed the etched shapes to memory, and could envision them in his mind's eye. He saw them independently, and arrayed in distinct patterns. His master took notice. Upon his 21st name day, Horatius received the gift of sight. Aiolus ordered him to transcribe a book, not unlike the dozens he had before. This book, however, was written in Albacolli, the tongue he had learned in his youth. Before his work began, Aiolus gave him a special instruction: He would write the contents of the book not in Albacolli, but in the language he had written for the past year. Horatius read the first sentence with the eyes of a man, but saw its true meaning with the eyes of a Wizard. He set to work, his mind ablaze with potential. A year passed. Horatius awoke upon the morning of his 22nd name day, and performed his chores with practiced ease. His hands cooked, swept, and carried, but his mind danced among the stars, guided by symbols he knew intimately. He accompanied his master to court and saw names they didn't know they had emblazoned upon them. In the evening, he went to Aiolus' library to begin transcribing, and found it empty. No tables, no books, no quills or ink. Before he could begin to understand, his master spoke a single syllable, and granted him the gift of truth. Horatius' ears burned, as sensations he had only imagined washed over them. Aiolus called him by name, and he heard a word like no other. Horatius spoke, and did not recognize his own voice. Instead, he heard the voice of a Wizard. The next year sped by, a blur of new discoveries. It was as though the world Horatius had known his whole life had been an illusion, and he saw it now for what it was. He saw the sunrise for the thousandth time, and for the first. He heard the whispers of beings older than stone, and the screams of stars being born. When Aiolus was content that he had sensed enough, he bestowed upon Horatius the gift of magic. He spoke words that shook the air, and took shape before his student's eyes. Horatius knew the shape of these words, for they had been the first he'd copied. For the first time, he knew their meaning, and their power. He spoke them aloud for the first time, and felt their energy form upon his fingertips. "For ten years, I have taught you. For ten years I have revealed to you secrets that few know exist.", spoke Aiolus, "It is in this tenth year that your lessons will end. This I have known since before they began. What I do not know, Horatius, is what will happen next." Aiolus thumbed through the pages of his grandest tome, his brow furrowed deeply. "That is why I chose you, Horatius. Not because you would become a talented wizard. Many who came to the choosing had that potential. I chose you because your stars... would vanish." The Court Wizard paused, his eyes fixed on the page before him. "Now, I must do as my stars demand, and remove yours from the sky." Before Horatius could protest, he felt a tug at the back of his mind. Helpless to resist, he braced himself for whatever might occur. --- Horatius awoke, slowly, with a pain in his side and a sea of colors before his eyes. He tried to sense the world around him, the way he had learned, and saw nothing that his eyes did not. He heard nothing that made his ears burn. Confused and afraid, he resorted to that which was most constant: He looked for the symbols that were etched into his mind. There they were, as they should be, but... changed somehow. He attempted to speak them, but the words felt clumsy on his tongue. He reached to his belt, where his spellbook should be, and felt naked skin. He sat with a start, and took in the strange new world around him. --- On the 5th day of September, in year 2 of the Common Era, Horatius the Humble fully joined the ranks of the Brothers of House Warspite.